Remember Me?
by eternitysstories
Summary: AU of an AU: Elijah Mikaelson didn't know who he was. He settled in a small French village. Then a mysterious woman begins to show up, night after night, to drive him insane, when he refuses to return to his old life with her. However, his course is set, leading him down an emotional path of infidelity, betrayal, and heartbreak.
1. Chapter 1: The Haunting Stranger

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

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Manosque, France was a beautiful little southern village that Elijah found himself drawn to, once he had decided not to pursue his mysteriously forgotten past. Having known only his first name, he had to relearn what it was to be a vampire, which he got his education from a beautiful nightwalker vampire named Antoinette.

It was after she left him behind and he had chosen to not pursue his past, choosing to instead chase after her, that he make the journey to the quaint little town. He had wanted to settle down there with the lovey female vampire and live in peace, away from the ghosts from the past that had been chasing after him.

Antoinette had been surprised to see Elijah in the little bar, after leaving him months before in New York City. She had taken up preforming as a piano player there and was quite popular. Upon confessing that he had come to be with her. They had begun a romantic relationship, living in peace and joy together without the burden of his past lingering over them.

He had found a wonderfully simple existence, also as a piano player in that same little bar. He had even gone so far as to compel the owner to give it to him - and his lover. Elijah enjoyed playing there every evening, playing for the audience whom all flocked there to listen to the mysterious and handsome gentleman's music.

Yes, he was happy and tranquil in his new existence as an amnesiac vampire; playing, feeding, and spending his time with Antoinette. He was certainly not hurting for company or for simplistic joy, now that his past didn't haunt him. Now that he had let it go.

Then one night, his past returned in the form of Klaus Mikaelson, whom had come to try and reclaim his lost brother that Elijah refused to be. He had failed to convince him to return to his old life, choosing his new existence over the old one.

Soon after that, a beauty like no other appeared while Elijah played, catching his eye immediately. She stood at the bar and watched him through the crowd of patrons. She was stunning with a shining grace that seemed too otherworldly to be of this world. Her pale skin and even paler white hair shone and shimmered under the low lighting of the establishment. Her sapphire blue eyes were ancient and striking in the wisdom that shown there.

This mystery woman was certainly unlike anyone _he_ had ever seen and he was immediately drawn to her in a far more profound way than anyone else, even Antoinette - and they hadn't even interacted yet. It was fortunate that his lady wasn't there to see him gazing at the strange and yet familiar woman with a captivated stare, as if he was entranced. Antoinette would be none too pleased with him otherwise.

Then like a ghost, she vanished from sight as quickly and suddenly as she had appeared, leaving Elijah to wonder if she had been there at all. Perhaps he was going insane, he thought to himself, a side effect of his amnesia?

A little while later, he returned to the small apartment he shared with his fiancée, Antoinette, as the mysterious beauty remained on his mind. He tried to distract himself by talking of his upcoming wedding with his lady, trying to hide his fascination with the other woman from her. He didn't want her to know. He wanted to believe whatever had transpired had been nothing.

However, there was a surprise knock on the front door of the apartment. Curious as well as wary as to whom was calling so late, Elijah went and opened it. As if his mind had summoned her, there she was on the other side of the door, that pale beauty from the bar. She looked furious.

Before he knew what had happened, she slapped him hard across the face and then proceeded to grab him by the jacket he wore, pushing him back into the apartment. There was an angry growl rubbling through her as she did.

"What the hell did you do, Elijah?" She raged at him, while he remained dazed and confused.

Recovering upon hearing his name fall from her lips, he looked at her suspiciously.

She released him and carried on in her yelling, "I went away on a mission for a moment and I come back to a broken family, forced apart, because of the Hollow! Worse than that, I find out that you had Vincent and Marcel compel away your memories!" She sighed as the rage left her and as a result, her voice became small and sad, "Compel away...me, _us_!"

Elijah didn't understand what she was trying to say, but he wouldn't since this fiery woman was someone from his forgotten past. He rubbed the side of his face that still stung from her slap, as he gazed at her, her broken expression having him feeling almost guilty. Almost.

"Look, whoever you are, I don't know you," he responded quickly. "I'm sorry that you came all this way to assault me for whatever you're babbling about, but I think you should leave."

He could feel Antoinette come up beside him and reach for his hand in comfort and perhaps in feeling territorial, but the mystery lady saw it and growled warningly at her, "Stay back!"

Immediately, his fiancée moved away out of fear.

Not liking the way this woman from his past treated the woman he loved now, Elijah became more insistent. "I don't know what it is you want," he told the pale beauty coolly, "but quite frankly, I don't care. Whatever we were, that's not my life anymore. I have a new one here. I have a business, a home, a fiancée, and I am happy. Please respect that and go."

The mystery woman's broken expression turned into one of devastation that then turned into a cool rage. She glanced at Antoinette, as she said to him, "A fiancée? Well, good luck in marrying her since you are a married man already." Her eyes returned to him, watching his shocked expression with mild amusement.

"What...You?"

"Oh yes. My name is Eternity Mikaelson," the otherworldly lady introduced herself. "It's a long story, but I am your wife. I came here after Niklaus failed to bring you home. I thought I could do what he could not and convince you to return to New Orleans with me, to put our broken family back together again."

Elijah couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had a wife? Where had she been all this time then? She had said she had been away when he had his memories wiped away from his mind. Why had she waited all this time to come? What had she been doing that kept her from preventing his erasure of identity?

He had so many questions. However, as it began to feel as if his sanity was slipping away, like before when he had gone searching for his past, he immediately rejected it - rejected her. He didn't want to feel that desperate and devastating insanity again. Ever. He feared it, he loathed it.

"I'm sorry you came all this way, but I'm not interested," he told her with finality. "I'll call a divorce lawyer or whatever, to set you free, but I'm not going anywhere. I am staying here, away from that toxic family of misery and woe, I suggest you get away from them too. They're poison and I refuse to be a part of it."

Eternity sighed sadly, "Oh, my love, you know so little. Fine. I'll leave here tonight, but I'm not leaving this quaint little village without you and should you leave it, I'll give chase until I finally wear you down, until you finally give in. I'm not giving up. This is far from over."

With flawless grace, she turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Elijah immediately felt a vague sensation of devastation, watching her go. It felt as if someone had their fist around his heart and was squeezing it tightly. Yet, he tried to ignore it, as he turned to Antoinette, who obviously didn't know what to say or do with the revelation that he had a wife to whom he had sworn to spend his life with once upon a time.

"Hey, don't worry," he comforted her, taking her hand in his and kissing the palm. "I'll figure out how to get a divorce and then we can start our life together."

"You would choose me over her?" Antoinette asked, surprised. "She's something special, a being from a distant place. I can tell. Yet, you wish to be with me instead?"

He nodded with a determined look, "That woman, no matter how special, is from a past that I don't want anymore. I want what I've built here with you. I want our future. I want you."

Antoinette smiled softly, and she seemed to accept what he told her, but there was still some uncertainty in her eyes. It was understandable. Eternity, whatever she was, was rather remarkable. He understood her uncertainty over his choosing the ordinary instead of the extraordinary, as not many would.

"I love you, Antoinette," Elijah murmured to her, kissing her lips tenderly. "I am yours...forever."

He had tried to not think about the otherworldly woman. He hadn't attempted to believe that Eternity had been serious when she said she wasn't leaving without him. He had thought that she would leave eventually. He should have taken her words more seriously, he soon realized.

For night after night, she would show up, just to stand at the bar and watch him with a small, almost knowing smile upon her pink lips. Every time he moved to meet her there, to tell her to leave, she would vanish into the crowd and then disappear completely, leaving him frustrated...with his ever growing curiosity about her and about their supposed life together. He wanted to know, but tried hard not to, afraid of the slip into insanity in chasing after any part of his forgotten past. Therefore, Elijah wanted her gone, yet he could never catch her.

She would come and stand at the bar to watch him, even when Antoinette was around, playing the piano by his side. His lady was displeased to see the other woman there and her uncertainty that he would remain hers only grew the more she witnessed the way her lover and his wife stared at each other. One time, Elijah purposefully made out with his fiancée in front of Eternity, in an attempt to dissuade her from continuing to show up there as well as prove to Antoinette that he was permanently hers.

The display hadn't worked and Eternity carried on coming, waiting for him to crack.

Finally, he had enough and began to strategize a way to trap the mysterious beauty that had been tormenting him for weeks. He wouldn't let her get away again. He had to stop the madness, to tell her to leave and never come back, despite the pain he felt in his rejection of her.

One night, while he played at the piano, Eternity showed up as always, standing at the bar and watching him watch her. She grinned at him flirtatiously whenever their eyes would meet this time, adding something new to her endless torment of him. Despite his determination to resist her plot to drag him back into his old life, her seduction was infectious, because he found himself automatically returning her subtle flirtation with his own lopsided grin - charming and libidinous.

Determined to trap her once and for all, Elijah waited for just the right moment, the moment she would try and flee into the crowd. When he saw her preparing to turn and make her escape, he used his vampire speed to intercept before she could even walk away from the bar. With a wicked smirk at her surprise from the change in their game, he used that to his advantage, grabbing hold of her and speeding away to the darkest corner of the little bar.

Pushing her against the wall, he held her firmly by the throat and glared down at her as he growled, "Why do you insist on coming here every night? Why haven't you taken the hint that I'm not interested in you or the past you're trying to bring me back to?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm but a simple patron come to enjoy the music," she responded coyly, gazing at him without fear, only amusement.

He tightened his hold on her neck, but still she did not show fear of him. "That's bullshit," he hissed in frustration. "You're here to drive me crazy! What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?"

She shrugged, "You know what. Come home."

Growling in frustration, he came nose to nose with her as he hissed, "I. Am. Not. Going. Anywhere. With. You."

"Then I shall remain until you change your mind," Eternity shrugged again.

He became desperate then. For a long time, he had sought answers to his forgotten past. Yet, he had come up empty at every turn, until he had been forced to stop the search or else lose his mind. But now, here was a woman who was from that past he couldn't remember, whom he had been married to and probably happy with, as happy as the miserable Elijah Mikaelson could be anyway. Part of him wanted to give in, wanted to know her, but his fears and his determination to keep his much happier present intact kept him from doing so.

However, just as he was about to reiterate that he wasn't going, Eternity stopped him by pressing her mouth to his in a sweet, but brief kiss. "Please, just consider it," she murmured as she pulled her mouth from his.

"Why do you insist on this?" Elijah asked softly, surprised by her kiss, her touch familiar upon his lips.

"Because I love you," she replied just as softly, "and you shouldn't be here. It's my fault that you are and I want to fix that. Just consider coming home, please?"

With that, Eternity slipped away from him and disappeared without a trace, yet again, leaving him utterly frustrated...and intrigued.

**To Be Continued...**


	2. Chapter 2: Revelations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

**Author's Note**: This chapter is based off of TO Season 5, Episode 6.

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That night had proved to not be the last that Elijah saw of the mysterious, yet familiar woman from his past. Though she did not show back up until a few days after their last meeting. Once again, Eternity stood at the bar, watching him as he played at the piano. He had been surprised to see her there, after she disappeared that night he confronted her, but found he was also mildly pleased, despite himself.

Unlike in their past encounters, Eternity didn't remain standing across the room for long.

"Do I have any requests?" Elijah asked the gathered crowd, trying to ignore the pale beauty.

When he made this inquiry, the shimmering beauty came floating over, coming to stand in front of the piano with her hands spread out upon it. "I do," she answered with a flirtatious smile, "but it is a duet. Mind if I join you?"

He returned her smile with a small, curt one of his own as he scooted over to one side of the piano bench and nodded to it, "Sure."

With that same regal grace, she went around the piano and sat down beside him. Putting her hands on the keys, she began to play a modern tune, one that Elijah hadn't heard before. It was hauntingly beautiful and soon, he found himself joining in, despite not knowing the music. It was as if his fingers had minds of their owns, as if he knew the tune on some subconscious level. They played together perfectly, he and the beauty beside him, as if they had been playing together for years. Perhaps they had.

"It seems that some part of you still remembers," commented Eternity quietly, glancing at him. "We used to play this tune together all the time."

"Did we now? Sorry, I cannot recall," he quipped with a smirk. "I seem to have some sort of amnesia."

Eternity laughed lightly and shook her head at him.

Elijah felt such joy hearing that melodious sound and that profound connection he felt toward her only increased with it. He couldn't resist it if he tried - and he did try.

Then suddenly, Antoinette made an appearance, breaking the spell between them. "Elijah?" She questioned upon seeing them together, the surprise and subtle jealousy evident on her face.

He immediately got up from behind the piano and went to her, kissing her lips quickly in apology. "Sorry, Eternity was just teaching me a new-old tune on the piano," he said weakly, turning to look at the pale beauty, only to find she had disappeared...again.

Elijah tried not to let his disappointment show. Then he felt Antoinette pull on his arm to gain his attention. He turned to her with a small smile that was as fake as they come, but one he tried to pass off as genuine anyway.

"Come on, love," she said with a hint of sadness in her sweet voice. "The sun is about to rise. We should head back."

Without hesitation and a simple nod, he followed her out. All the while, Eternity was on his mind.

That day, as he slept beside his fiancée, he dreamed of the ethereal beauty who would not leave him alone. He saw her round, childlike face and she was smiling at him with those big, sparkling sapphire eyes of hers. He reached for her automatic, embracing her, kissing her, then making love to her. She didn't speak and neither did he. They were simply together - beautifully happy.

When night fell and Elijah rose from slumber, all he could think about was Eternity, despite attempting very hard not to. He didn't consciously know her or love her, but some subconscious part of him remembered and cared for her still. He couldn't escape it, no matter what and it drove him crazy!

Then, like a saving grace to his sanity, a distraction came knocking at the door.

Curious, Antoinette answered it and found a fellow vampire the other side, looking weary and weak. "Mother! What happened to you?" She asked, nervously.

"The path to redemption is long and winding...but worthy," Antoinette's mother replied, just as Elijah came to stand by his fiancée with her intertwining their fingers in comfort. The weary female vampire looked at him and said, "Elijah, yes? What a pleasure it is to finally meet you."

There was something eerie and ominous about her. Because of that, he hesitated slightly, before nodding, "And you."

Of course, Antoinette let her mother into their apartment and before long, the woman, Greta Sienna, started to look less weary and more at full strength. Elijah had prepared a modest meal for the three of them, so that they could talk about whatever had brought the unsettling woman to them.

His fiancée seemed suspicious of her own mother, especially with the quick and strange phone call his soon-to-be mother-in-law made during dinner. Then Antoinette had pointed out how Greta was wearing a daylight ring, something that went against the purist vampire teachings, making his lady even more wary.

"I'm sure you didn't get a daylight ring just to see me," his fiancée said.

As Greta poured them more wine, she replied, "No. I've been wearing one for years. But your father believed, at times, the ends justify the means."

Curious, Elijah asked, "And what means were those?"

"Our movement recognizes the superiority of our species," Greta explained, "and works to protect the sanctity and purity of the true vampire."

With a slight scoff, Antoinette chimed in, "By wearing a ring and acting like a daywalker?"

"By infiltrating those who need reeducation," her mother corrected. "The daywalkers are in denial of their natural state. They live as though they've never died and been chosen for something better than being merely human."

"Yeah, perhaps they don't know the peace that comes with removing the ring," commented Elijah.

"No, Elijah, they don't," Greta agreed. "But...our work is paying off. We've taken hold."

"Doesn't explain your sudden visit," Antoinette said, gazing curiously at her mother.

It was obvious to Elijah that there was some tension between mother and daughter. He didn't know the story behind that, other than it was Greta's teachings that Antoinette followed, the very same that she had taught to him in his reeducation on how to be a vampire. He enjoyed the purist form of vampirism. It was freeing and he could understand why one might try to push it on others of their kind.

"No," Greta admitted, "but I believe Roman may be in danger."

Immediately, Elijah's fiancée was on alert. Worry marred her expression and tainted her voice as she urgently asked, "What's happened?"

"It's my fault, really," answered Greta regretfully. "Your brother wanted to go away to school, and I...I indulged him. But now I've learned that he's gotten mixed up with Hope Mikaelson. He's quite fond of her. But the moment her father finds out that she's involved with a Sienna..."

"He'll kill him," finished Antoinette, very worried now for her brother.

"Roman won't stand a chance against him," her mother said gravely. "That's why I'm here. The only one strong enough to stop Klaus Mikaelson, save your brother's life..."

"Is me," Elijah finished, knowingly. "I'll do it. I'll go."

"Good," Greta smiled almost wolfishly. "I'm glad to hear it and I am forever grateful."

Later, after Antoinette's mother left. They discussed this mission of his, as he packed to make the journey to New Orleans. He was full of determination, wanting to protect his new family. So focused was he that he didn't even think about Eternity or the dreams he kept having of her.

"My mother had no right to put this on you," his lady said, exasperatedly.

"She's just protecting her son," he replied, as he moved about the bedroom, readying himself for the trip.

Antoinette was clearly bothered by this whole thing, not liking the idea of him going at all, as well as being worried for her brother. "Greta is complicated," she sighed. "And obviously her views are pretty extreme. But, yes, she does love Roman. So do I."

Curiously, he asked, "You never told me how it was Greta came to be your mom."

"All those years ago, after I was staked and stoned by my village, I was left for dead," Antoinette explained to him. "I could feel my life slipping away when Greta found me. She saw something in me and turned me. I call her mother because...she gave me life. I-I owe her everything."

He smiled confidently, "So my path is clear."

As he moved past her, he paused and he kissed her lips tenderly.

"I don't want you having anything to do with your family," insisted his fiancée, obviously trying to convince him not to go. He realized that she was afraid to lose him. If not to his family, then perhaps to Eternity, whom had been waiting for him to go home to New Orleans. "This is my problem," she said weakly."

"You are my family," he smiled tenderly, as he neared her. "Your joy is my joy." He paused to put on his daylight ring, then finished, "Therefore, your problem is my problem."

"No, this is asking too much," she murmured worriedly.

Elijah shook his head, "No, it's not. Your mother is right. I am the only one with the power to protect your brother from Klaus." He cupped her neck in both hands to gaze into her eyes meaningfully. "Now just let me go. And after the sun sets and it's safe for you to travel, you come and join us." He kissed her lips again, more passionately than before. Then, pulling away he saw her uncertainty, and with concern, asked, "Hey. What is it?"

Realizing she couldn't stop him from going, Antoinette sighed in defeat and whispered, "Thank you." Then she pulled him to her and hugged him tightly, before letting him go with a brave face.

The next day, Elijah found himself outside New Orleans, at an old abandoned farmhouse. Klaus Mikaelson, along with a pretty blonde companion he of course didn't recognize, rolled up. The hybrid quickly moved toward the building, ready to kill Roman and anyone else that was part of Greta's cause. The blonde followed and Elijah moved silently, stealthily snapping the woman's neck before she could get far.

Then he went after Klaus, just as his brother turned to face him with a surprised look on his face to see him there at all. "What are you doing here?" He asked Elijah.

"Protecting my family," Elijah replied, just as he snapped off the handle of an old shovel and threw it at the hybrid, who dodged it easily.

An incredulous look crossed Klaus's face as he raged, "They're your family? Hope is in there!"

Unmoved, he coolly stated, "It's not my problem."

"Well, what about Hayley? Your sister-in-law, _my_ wife, Hope's _mother_!" His brother tried.

Gazing threateningly, Elijah responded, "The woman I love has a brother in there, and you're not going in."

"I see Eternity - your _wife_ \- couldn't reach you either," he said with a sigh and then in frustration, he growled, "_She_ is the woman you love, not that harlot you met in France, the very one that's part of that deranged Sienna family, our family's old enemy! You surely break her heart by denouncing her and choosing that woman over her!"

"Antoinette is the woman I love and the woman I plan on spending my life with," countered Elijah stubbornly, despite his conflicted feelings over the pale beauty. "I don't care what came before! This is my life now! And as I said, you're not going in there!"

"Well, it shows how little you actually remember your old life," his brother said, "because if you did, you'd know there's no way you can stop me."

Just as they were about to fight, there was a loud commotion that rang out from within the farmhouse, giving both men pause. The sound of a struggle could be heard and then, few moments later, nothing. There was utter silence, before Eternity emerged from the house with a woman limping beside her and a young teenage girl on her other side.

A look of utter relief crossed Klaus's face as he rushed to them, embracing the bloodied and bruised woman, then the young girl joyously. He kissed each of their faces over and over again in his relief that they were still alive, and now safe. Then he hugged Eternity and thanked her for her efforts to save them.

Worry immediately crossed Elijah's face as he saw the blood spatters that marred the ethereal beauty's face, hands, and clothes. He feared that the boy he had come to save had been killed by her. He was troubled by the prospect of failing in his mission, as well was the idea of Eternity turning into his enemy.

"Where is Roman?" He demanded angrily.

Eternity looked at him gravely, knowing already the reason why he had been there. It was obvious by the disappointed expression upon her face. "Roman is alright," she told him, comfortingly, despite her sadness. "He is but a child and therefore, I let him go. Greta was not so fortunate, I'm afraid."

Upon seeing the defensive stance he took at her revelation, she turned to Klaus then and said, "Get Hope and Hayley somewhere safe. Leave Elijah to me."

The hybrid nodded, ushering his wife and daughter away to the car he had come in, while pausing to pick up the still unconscious blonde vampire on the way.

Once they were gone, Eternity approached him. "Greta was using you, you know," she said. "She was using your amnesia to her advantage, as well as your relationship with her daughter, in an attempt to keep Niklaus busy long enough to allow her kill Hayley and Hope. She was to murder our sister-in-law and our niece for her own twisted cause, which you were naively helping further."

Elijah stared at her unforgivingly, "You killed Greta."

"Yes, I did," she nodded unapologetically. "You've aligned yourself with a fascist vampire cult, lead by one, Greta Sienna, Elijah, because of your idiocy. You made a stupid, reckless move with good intentions by erasing your memories. You've caused more problems without them than you would have with them." She sighed in frustration and threw her hands up, "and I don't know if Niklaus will ever forgive you for it. You may have forever broken your family, which is usually your brother's MO, by the way."

Elijah didn't know what to say or to think. He simply gaped at her speechlessly.

"It is a good thing I managed to intercept her plot," she carried on, speaking more to herself than to him. "Though it's not over. Her cult followers have infiltrated New Orleans and I must go help dismantle that evil movement, before it tears the city apart since our family has to remain separated."

He gazed at her curiously, sensing that she was saying goodbye to him, before she actually said it. He felt his insides twist sickeningly at the very idea, despite her killing his fiancée's mother and acting as his enemy.

"I'd ask you to come home again," Eternity murmured with a sad smile that broke his heart, "to allow me to not only restore your memories, but to also put the Hollow down for good - to reunite our family, but I know it's a fool's errand. You have made your choice. I cannot stop you. I won't force you back against your will, because that is not love - and I do love you. Instead, I will find another way of defeating the Hollow and I will let you go."

Elijah continued to gape, as words kept on failing him every time he attempted them. He didn't know what to say. What could he say? He had rejected her, just as he had chosen Antoinette's family over the Mikaelsons. He felt as if it was too late to turn back, as if he were stuck on the path he was on.

"It is a shame, however," the ethereal beauty mourned with a shaky voice. "It is a shame that our daughter will grow up without a father. Worse, a father that chose to forget her, to build a new life without her. By rejecting the Mikaelsons and I, you have rejected her."

That snapped Elijah out of his stupor. "Daughter? How?" He asked quickly with uncertainty. "I thought vampires couldn't procreate. Did we adopt?"

Eternity shook her head, "No, she is your biological child. It is true that typically vampires cannot have children, but I am not bound by the rules of this world and with my magic, I made it so that we could, along with the other Originals."

"What's her name?" He found himself asking before he could stop.

"Arianna Katerina Mikaelson, but we call her Ari for short," she told him...and then, "Goodbye, Elijah. I wish you nothing but happiness in your new life."

Before he could get any words out to keep her there, Eternity vanished from sight, just like that.

Elijah was left with his whirlwind thoughts. His head spun, while his heart ached. It was that part of him that remembered that caused it, it was as if that subconscious part of him that knew the truth was rebelling against his. It was like it was crying out in terrible grief from a loss that he was consciously unattached to. It was a strange feeling, to feel something so profound and yet feel absolutely nothing at the same time.

The sun was setting, Antoinette would be arriving soon. He would have to tell her about Greta...and about the daughter Eternity mentioned, as well as all he was feeling. He didn't know what to do, what path to take.

He did love Antoinette and he did want to spend his life with her. However, Eternity and the knowledge of their child threatened to pull him in a backwards direction, back to the family he swore he didn't care about - that he swore he wanted nothing to do with. He wanted to go to New Orleans to see this daughter, to know her. The tug toward the child was strong, so strong he could barely resist it.

Perhaps, his lady's worries about losing him had more merit than he realized.

With these troubling thoughts plaguing his mind, Elijah left the farmhouse to meet his fiancée since he didn't know where Roman had gone to and couldn't do anything more to help him. He was glad that the boy had managed to escape or rather that Eternity had let the boy go, feeling grateful to her for that mercy. Though, his gratitude only served to complicate him further, leaving him just that more chaotically aimless.

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3: The Long Lost Daughter

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

* * *

Before long, the Original was sitting in a cafe just outside the city limits with Antoinette sitting across from him. He had just finished telling her that Greta was dead, killed by Eternity, but that Roman had thankfully escaped unharmed. She looked mournful for the loss of her mother, but it wasn't a deep, devastating sort that one might expect. It was a mild sort of mourning that one might feel for a complete stranger that died tragically.

"Are you alright?" Elijah asked her softly, reaching across the table to touch her hand.

"My mother brought this upon herself," Antoinette replied quietly. "My mother did all these heinous things because of some deluded ideology that vampires need to be pure. She carried on a war that she could not win - that her followers will not win. Not only do they have your family to contend with, but..." She trailed off, looking down.

"Eternity too," he finished for her, swallowing thickly in speaking the other woman's name. "Actually, I think that it is only her they'll have to deal with since the Mikaelsons are scattered and unable to reunite. So, it is only her that will stand against them, and she will slaughter them all effortlessly, I'm sure."

Antoinette looked at him with an indescribable expression that resembled a mix of curiosity, worry, and jealousy.

It was his turn to look away. Then Elijah confessed, "She told me something at Shiloh Place. She told me that we had a daughter together named Arianna."

His fiancée blinked rapidly, "A daughter? But that's not possible. Vampires can't have children."

He shrugged and finally returned his gaze to her face. "Apparently, with a little divine intervention, they can," he sighed, then he spoke his thoughts rapidly from there without thinking, "If it's true, then I have missed seven years of her life - of _my_ daughter's life! What kind of father am I, if I intentionally abandoned her? If I left her alone this entire time? I keep thinking about it and I can't help but feel horrible. Not to mention, I intentionally abandoned my wife too, the mother of this miracle child, erasing them from my mind! Just what kind of man was I to do such a thing?" He scrubbed his hands over his face in frustration.

"I guess that means the wedding is off," Antoinette smiled sadly, while playing with the engagement ring on her finger. "You'll be going back to them - to her, yes?"

Immediately, Elijah realized what he had said and part of him wished he could take it back. He sighed heavily, "I-I don't know. I love you, Antoinette. I do, and I still desire our future together, but this is my daughter we're talking about. I left her alone, let her grow up without me, and I have no idea who she is. At the very least, I need to see her. I need to meet her."

His fiancée licked her lower lip, still refusing to look at him. "If you go there, you're going to get your memories back," she murmured shakily. "You know that's what will happen. We both do. Then you'll forget all about me, because you'll have your wife and your daughter. You'll have your old life back and I'll be nothing to you. These seven years will be nothing compared to the thousand with your family and the many with your wife. I'll lose you. Forever."

He didn't know what to say to comfort her. In fact, he didn't think that there was anything he could say to do so. He found himself to be very torn between his old life and his new one.

"Well, your daughter is probably at the Mikaelson compound in the French Quarter. Perhaps you can reach out to her somehow," Antoinette suggested, after realizing that he wasn't going to attempt to reassure her that wasn't the case. "Maybe there is a way that you can see your daughter. Though, I'm afraid I can't go with you. You and I both know that Klaus would capture me, then torture, and probably kill me, if he laid eyes on me because of what my mother tried to do to his own wife and child. I can't risk being seen there. It's too dangerous for me."

Elijah swallowed thickly, knowing what he was implying would hurt her, as he reluctantly proposed, "He might kill you on sight, but he can't do that to me. I could probably just walk in without too much of an issue, even if Klaus saw me coming. More so, if I explained to him why I had come, he'd leave me alone, I think anyway."

His fiancée looked sad, but she tried to put on a brave face, "Then you have your plan of action and I suppose this is goodbye for you and I."

As she moved to stand up, he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Goodbye? I'm just going to see my daughter. I still want to be with you, Antoinette. You are the woman I love. Just wait for me by the river. I'll meet you there before sunrise and then we can go wherever you want in the world."

Antoinette smiled slightly, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "Alright. The river. I'll be waiting."

With that, she walked away, leaving Elijah to his mission.

Finding the Mikaelson compound was easy. All he had to do was compel the local bartender at a place called Rousseau's to tell him where the place was at. From there, he moved at vampire speed to reach the establishment in record time. He did have his lady waiting for him after all and didn't have time to waste. He needed to find his daughter, see her, and then go.

With the stealth of a predator, Elijah infiltrated the compound, moving into the courtyard, only have a surprise waiting for him. Klaus was standing there with a blonde female vampire and a brunette male one; Rebekah and Kol Mikaelson!

"Ah, Elijah, welcome home," Klaus greeted him with a wide, mischievous smile. "It's about time you showed up. Had trouble finding the place, did we? With amnesia and all that, I'm sure it was quite the challenge." Then he called behind him, "Are you ready, love?"

Eternity came forth, coming to stand in front of the hybrid and his siblings. She didn't show any sort of emotion when she saw him. She remained cold and stone faced.

"What the hell is this?" Elijah demanded quietly, sensing a trap immediately.

"You are here, so that I can destroy the Hollow, as a piece of it resides in each Original here, you included, if that wasn't obvious," she told him clinically. "I cannot allow that evil thing to remain in this world, so I have brought the four Mikaelsons together to extract the spirit and wipe it from existence."

He narrowed his eyes on her, feeling deceived, "So...wait. Our daughter? Was that just a lie to get me here? Does she even exist?"

Eternity nodded, "She does exist. She is here even. However, you're not allowed to see her. At least, not as you are. If you want to see your daughter, you're going to have to agree to having your memories restored. I will not let Ari see this...stranger, who will see her this once for curiosity's sake and then dart off to some far off corner of the world with his new lover. I won't let such a father that does not even know who she is, who can't remember the day she was born or the first time he held her his arms or her first steps, near her."

"You used her just to get me here," he realized. "To pull me back into a life I don't want."

"I did, because it is the right thing to do," she answered unapologetically. "The Hollow needs to be destroyed and I need to undo this madness you have put upon yourself in erasing your memories. I knew that the only way to get you back here was to tell you about Ari. I realized that not the bonds you shared with Niklaus or myself would suffice, only her. Now that you are here, I can save the world, along with my broken family, the very one you gave to me because you loved me...the very one you denounce, along with me."

Elijah didn't know what to think, except that he wanted to see his daughter and he would do anything to do so.

"You have to decide what you really want," the ethereal beauty told him with finality. "Your daughter? Or your new existence...without her? You have until I finish the extraction of the Hollow to make your choice. Come."

With that, Eternity turned gracefully and lead the other three Mikaelson siblings over to a more open space. He didn't move immediately to follow, but eventually he went over to stand on south side of the pale woman, while his siblings took the north, east, and west positions around her.

"Are you lot ready?" She asked the four of them rhetorically.

Then powerful woman stretched her arms outward and began to chant in a strange language that wasn't of Earth. A mighty wind picked up around them and flashes of lightning lit up the shadowy courtyard with claps of thunder echoing off the walls.

Soon, a painful burning sensation welled up inside Elijah's chest, forcing him to hunch over in agony. He vaguely noticed it was the same for the other three too. They all contorted and howled in pain as the evil energy inside them was drawn out. Then with a loud bang and a blinding flash of light, everything went dark.

In his temporary unconscious state, he saw Eternity there, as he did every time he closed his eyes. She was smiling in the distance per usual and calling his name, beckoning him to come to her. There was also a little girl he couldn't see the face of with the pale woman, giggling and playing near her. Yet, every time he dared to make that step toward her, he found himself unable to ever close the distance between them. There was always the same canyon sized separation between them, no matter what he did to try and get to her.

It was heart wrenchingly painful in such a profound way that he couldn't stand it.

When he awoke, Elijah was laying on the ground where he had apparently collapsed. He heard the groans of the others and sat up to find his siblings all waking at the same time. At first, Eternity was no where to be found, as he got to his feet and looked around to spot her.

His vision had cemented his decision for him.

Then Eternity came into view, looking rather weary as she was embraced by Klaus, Rebekah, and then Kol in their relief to finally be rid of the Hollow bad to be able to be together again without the world ending. They were all grateful and joyful that the ethereal beauty had saved them all from the dark entity. It was a touching scene, one that Elijah didn't dare try to participate in.

He waited awkwardly for her to approach him, which she did once the celebratory hugs were done being exchanged. She came to stand in front of him, gazing at him coolly and didn't speak. Instead, she waited for him to give her his answer to her earlier ultimatum.

"I want my daughter," Elijah wasted no time in telling her.

Eternity's expression softened somewhat. It wasn't as icy as it had been before he'd agreed to her terms. She simply nodded and motioned for him to follow her. "Come this way," she spoke softly.

The ethereal beauty lead him upstairs and down the hall into one of the bedrooms, where she proceeded to shut them away from the others. She turned to him, leaning against the door, while he watched her curiously.

"This seems a little romantic, don't you think?" Elijah quipped with a slight grin, trying to lighten the tense mood.

She gave him an unamused look, before she approached him, coming to stand mere inches away from him. He watched as she reached and rested her hands upon his chest, pressing herself into him slightly, while gazing at him with a swirl of different emotions that he couldn't quite name or perhaps he didn't want to.

"Kiss me, Elijah," commanded Eternity softly, averting her eyes slightly as she did.

He hesitated, not quite understanding how his kissing her was going to undo the compulsion. At first, he thought that this was some kind of trick, that she was playing him. Yet, despite his amnesia, he somehow knew that she wouldn't do that. He chose to believe that she was doing this out of some sort of necessity.

"Kiss me," the ethereal beauty said again, more urgently. "Please, Elijah."

Without hesitating further, Elijah threw caution to the wind and let his mouth descend upon hers in a sweet, but cautious kiss.

Immediately, he felt the heat of energy upon his lips. He was mesmerized as the sensation spread over his face upward into his mind, yet he didn't cease in kissing Eternity, even though the feeling was foreign to him. He grew slightly nervous over it, especially as it grew more and more intense, eventually making his brain feel like it was on fire.

From there, the return of his memories was instantaneous. Everything came back in an swift flood of memories. The visions started from the beginning a thousand years ago and working up to the present day.

He knew who he was! He finally remembered it all, including the woman he held in his arms.

Pulling his mouth from hers, Elijah Mikealson looked down at Eternity. He recognized the woman he loved more than anything for the first time since she started showing up at his bar in France. He cupped her face in his hands and grinned from ear to ear in his happiness. Unable to help himself, he peppered her face with kisses and then hugged her to him tightly, overjoyed to have his memories back and more importantly to have the threat to his family destroyed.

However, Eternity remained stoic, stiff and motionless. She didn't seem to share in his joy.

Concerned, he pulled back and gazed down at her. He found her head hanging down, concealing her face from his view. Then just as he was about to call to her, to ask her what was wrong, she looked up at him coolly and said, "You have met my terms. Come, I'll take you to Ari."

With that, she swept past him, opening the bedroom door and walking out without looking to see if he was following her. He felt guilty and hurt as he watched her go, understanding why she was being so cool to him. He had acted horridly in his desperation to protect his family from the Hollow. A heavy sigh left him, as he followed her out of what was their bedroom.

Eternity took him down the hall to another bedroom, where she knocked on the open door to alert the person inside to her presence. She disappeared into the room then, as she greeting the occupant, "Hello, my little love!"

"Mom!" A young voice shouted excitedly, just as Elijah came to stand in the doorway. "You're finally back!"

The Original watched as a young girl of nine with long, wavy brown hair hopped off her bed and went to his wife, embracing her tightly. _Ari_!

"Yes, my darling," the ethereal beauty replied and then she turned to him, revealing the girl, "and as promised, I have brought your father home as well."

Arianna Katerina Mikaelson was the most beautiful little girl Elijah had ever seen. She had grown so much in the seven years he had been away. She had she'd her baby fat long ago, was walking and talking as anyone else would, and she looked like a mirror image of himself. That was except for the curls and waves of her long brown hair, as well the large almond shapes to her sapphire colored eyes that were all features of her mother.

His daughter looked at him cautiously, but only for a moment. Then her eyes began to water with joyful tears and she immediately ran to him, to throw her arms around his neck as he crouched down to meet her. He embraced her tightly as his own eyes began to water. His emotions were so profound that he ached painfully, as he felt an incredible joy like no other that was marred by a deep regret.

What had he done?

Elijah pulled back to take a good look at the child he had foolishly abandoned. She smiled brightly at him and it was infectious, for he was soon doing the same. "Hello, darling girl," he murmured sweetly as he brushed back her hair and kissed her cheek. "I suppose we have a lot of catching up to do, but I must know: can you ever forgive me for being away?"

Immediately, Ari nodded her head rapidly. "Yes," she said with a shaky voice as she tried to hold back her tears that nearly overwhelmed her. "You're my dad. Of course, I can!"

The little girl embraced him again, giving Elijah the chance to look at Eternity, whom had silently watched the scene unfold before her. The immortal queen gazed at them with a tender affection that was marred by underline sadness and pain. Yet, she smiled at him as she moved past him to exit the room.

As both the Original and the girl pulled away from each other to stare at her with curious questioning, the ethereal woman spoke her parting words softly to them, "I'll leave you two to your catch up and I shall return later."

With that, she swept from the room, giving him time alone with their daughter.

Once Eternity was gone, Elijah sighed heavily again as he watched her go once more, before turning his full attention to the little girl he hadn't seen in years.

"Mom doesn't seem very happy," Ari commented with innocent worry.

"She's just exhausted from destroying the Hollow and restoring our family," he explained gently.

The nine year old looked at him in consideration. "No, it's not that, although I'm glad that she has," she said matter-of-factly. "She's cross with you. She's mad that you had your memories erased and that you left me without a father since I was already without her."

Elijah smiled slightly, knowingly, "You've inherited your mother's psychic powers, I see."

Ari rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest authoritatively, "I did, but I don't need to use them to know why Mom is sad. I'm quite cross with you too, by the way." Her expression became sad as she asked in a small voice, "Why did you leave? Why did you forget?"

His heart broke. He reached to pull her back into his embrace, holding her close in comfort as he quietly explained, "I'm so sorry, Ari. I left because I had to, in order to keep the Hollow away from your cousin, Hope. I forgot because I thought I was a danger to my family, to you, as I cannot stand aside when any one of them is in danger or in need of help, especially your uncle Niklaus. I didn't mean to hurt you or your mother. I was simply desperate. We all were, to defeat a great evil that threatened our family - and the world, without your mother here to help us."

"Yeah, she's been away off and on all these years, you know," admitted his daughter. "There was a war or something that kept her from home more often than not. So it's mostly been just me with Aunt Freya and Aunt Hayley...Hope too."

Elijah wasn't all that surprised to hear this news. The war that Ari spoke of had broken out somewhere in space, just as the Hollow had awakened to stir up trouble in New Orleans. Eternity had wanted to stay and fight to protect her family, but her duty to her people elsewhere had put pressure on her to leave. He remembered telling his wife to go, to deal with the war. He recalled promising her that he and their family had could handle the Hollow until she got back. It had been with his blessing, she had reluctantly left.

However, Eternity hadn't return in time before the conflict with the Hollow reached it's peak and that had left the Mikaelsons desperate to save Hope from it's evil, of whom had been possessed by it. They had done what they thought they had to, since none of them had any idea when his powerful wife would return home to save them - and the world.

"I apologize for...everything," Elijah told the little girl gently. "Neither your mother or I wanted to leave you without us. We were simply trying to do the right thing for everyone."

"I know, Dad," Ari replied, reaching to cup his cheek in her hand understandingly. "It's okay. I get it. Heroes need to save the day."

He smiled lopsidedly, "Well, I'm certainly not a hero, but your mother is. She's the light of this family and saves the day often. I know she saves us all from a lot of misery and woe every day she's with us."

"If that's true about Mom, then you need to fix what's been broken," his daughter said with a wisdom that was beyond a nine year old...or at least, it should have been. "You need to go make up with her."

Elijah nodded, "I know and I will. First, however, why don't we go sit, so you can tell me what you've been up to all this time that I've been away."

Ari grinned and agreed readily. She took him by the hands and lead him over to her bed, where they sat and talked, catching up on lost time.

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4: To Fix What's Broken

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

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A few hours later, Eternity returned to put their daughter to bed for the night. Once the little girl was safely tucked in for sleep, the ethereal beauty lead Elijah out of the room. She didn't speak. She barely looked at him as she went down into the courtyard of the compound, away from the ears of their daughter and the rest of the household too.

She walked over to the bar and stood there with her back to him, leaning forward on the dark wood as she did. "You should go," Eternity said quietly, almost too quietly for even his heightened hearing to catch. "You need to go to her, before the sun rises."

Elijah didn't need to ask after who she was talking about. He knew she was referring to Antoinette, the woman he had spend seven years with - the woman he had loved while in his amnesiac state. The very woman he had unknowingly committed adultery with...and then knowingly had carried on the affair, once Eternity had revealed herself to him in France.

The coldness he had shown to her, the hurtful things he had said, it all haunted him. It all echoed in his mind unendingly. He was ashamed and remorseful.

"Eternity, I -."

"You have a choice to make," his wife turned toward him. "Your erasure of your memories did just that: erased your memories, but what you felt for Antoinette was very much real. It still is. Therefore, I know you still love her."

Elijah tried to interject, "Sweetheart, I don't -."

"You have a choice to make," she repeated. "You have to decide what you want."

Before he could say anything, Eternity walked away, leaving him alone in the courtyard. He watched her go helplessly. Then a twinkling caught his eye and he went up to the bar to find Eternity's diamond and sapphire wedding ring sitting there. He picked it up and stared at it, pain filled him that she should dare to take it off. With a heavy sigh, he pocketed the ring, keeping it safe on his person for the time being with every intention of putting it back on her finger.

Determined, Elijah did as she said and left the compound to meet with Antoinette, whom was waiting for him by the river as they had agreed to. He found her there, watching the water. When she sensed him, she turned to him happily, the hopeful and relieved look she gave him made his insides twist painfully in guilt.

"You came," Antoinette said. "I was afraid that you wouldn't, that I would lose you forever."

The Original licked his lips uncomfortably and shoved his hand into his pants pocket, where he had stored his wife's ring. He gripped it for strength to do what was necessary, to remind him of what was important. Not that he actually needed to be reminded, of course. He knew his wife and child was vastly more important than the new life he had built over his seven years as an amnesiac vampire.

"Actually," he murmured, "I only came to tell you that I can't go with you, that I can't be with you."

Her face fell immediately, as she recognized he had his memories back from the change in his accent. As an amnesiac, he had an American way of speaking, but now he spoke with his regal, upper class accent that was essentially a mixture of American and English in tone.

"You have your memories back," the dark-haired beauty said sadly. "You're going back, just as I feared you would. In remembering them, remembering her, you're going to forget all about me."

"No, I won't forget," Elijah told her. "What we had was special. You helped me navigate my new, confusing life as an amnesiac vampire. You loved me and I loved you. Of course, I will always remember our time together and I will always be grateful to you for all you've done for me in my time of need."

He paused to collect his thoughts and then said, "However, Eternity, she is everything to me, to my family. What I feel for her is unlike anything I have every known. I cannot leave her. I don't want to leave her. With my wife is where I belong. I have to try and fix what has been broken. I had an affair, I betrayed her, without even knowing I had done so until right before I returned to this city and then I had blatantly carried on with my infidelity, uncaringly...unfeelingly. I cannot lose her. You have to understand, I am but half a man without her and I have to do whatever it takes to repair our fractured relationship."

Antoinette nodded as tears of heartbreak filled her eyes, jealousy and bitterness filled her voice as she responded, "Yes, she is quite extraordinary. I suppose I nor any other Earth creature could compare to or compete with someone like her. I'm a fool for ever thinking that you would choose me over her, but I had hoped that you would. Silly of me, really."

"I'm sorry, Antoinette," murmured Elijah regretfully. "My heart belongs to another and I have to say goodbye to you. Just know that I wish you the best, wherever you go, whatever you do. I hope you know nothing but happiness in the future. Goodbye."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Antoinette alone with her sorrows and her tears.

Immediately, the Original returned to the compound to find Eternity. He found her in their bedroom, standing on the balcony that overlooked the city. He went to her, coming to stand in the doorway. He leaned against the door jamb, taking her ring out of his pocket and holding it between his fingers.

"Put it back on," Elijah told her.

She remained silent and unmoving, standing perfectly still, as if she hadn't heard him.

"Eternity, put your ring back on," he said more firmly.

Finally, she turned to face him, gazing at the ring he presented her. Yet, she didn't make a move to take it. Instead, she turned away again to continue looking at the city. "I want to blame you for it all," Eternity said. "However, I am just as much to blame for what has happened. I should have stayed here. Veren could have handled the war, while I defeated the Hollow here. However, I went and I left my family to face that evil thing alone. I am just as guilty."

"No, Sweetheart, no," Elijah tried to comfort her.

"Yes, I am," she insisted. "I should have known better than to leave in the middle of a Mikaelson crisis and then when I found time to return, to finally put the Hollow down, I found my family had gone and done something drastic in their desperation to protect young Hope, but none more so, than my own husband."

Eternity turned to look at him again, sighing, "Worse, I was unable to immediately fix things. I was unable to restore my family that had been fractured in my absence, because the war I was fighting was on going and I was forced to wait and wait and wait, until finally I was able to return for good, but by that time, you were so far away from me, and I feared, too far."

"I'm sorry," he apologized for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "I was only doing what I thought I needed to keep everyone safe, until you returned."

"No, you were doing what you always do, Elijah," she countered with slight anger. "You were taking an unnecessary drastic measure, one that proved to do the opposite of what you had intended. You almost got Hayley and Hope killed for one thing, by falling into Greta Sienna's trap. Which, by the way, was something that never would have happened, if you had not erased your memories, if you had done what your siblings had and simply separated yourself from them until I came back. It was idiotic your choosing amnesia to keep yourself from going to Niklaus's side and here I thought you were the smart Mikaelson." She gave him a small smirk.

"Unfortunately, I'm just as stupid as the rest of my siblings," Elijah sighed. "I suppose desperation can do that, but I didn't know when you would come home. You were gone and to save Hope, as well as the world, I had to ensure I wouldn't go to Niklaus, knowing that he would spiral and would eventually need guidance. I couldn't risk it, not with so much at stake."

Eternity looked at him contemplatively, before turning away once more. "We're both fools, who have made grievous mistakes in all this," she huffed in frustration, "and now everything is broken. We are broken."

He approached then, coming to stand beside her at the railing, "We don't have to be. You have restored our family and my memories. I know I did things that have hurt you, both unknowingly and knowingly. Even so, what remains broken can be fixed. We can move past this - together. Put your ring back on, Sweetheart. Please."

"I don't know, Elijah," Eternity said quietly. "You not only did you erase our history from your mind and had an affair, but you also left Ari, leaving her without both her parents, instead of only one. Yes, she would have been without her mother for a long, regretful time, and you without your wife, but at least, she would have had her father. I know you had good intentions, but such strife, it reminds me of my ex, Loki. One terrible thing happened and then everything spiraled, never to recover. We were lost to the brokenness. I fear that will happen with us and I am uncertain I want to find out."

Immediately, Elijah found himself unable to breathe as if he had been punched in the gut. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He couldn't believe that Eternity was considering giving up on them because of what had happened. Yes, mistakes were made, but for her to think they couldn't recover, to fear that her past might repeat, to dare to compare their relationship to the one she had shared with the abusive, mad Trickster, was unfathomable to him.

"Don't, Sweetheart," he murmured emotionally. "Don't you dare compare us to your past with Loki. He was abusive and manipulative, hurting you because he was hurting. I'm not Loki and this situation is not alike to what went on with him. Therefore, you cannot say we are doomed."

"No, you're right," she replied remorsefully. "Forgive me."

"Then put your ring back on and let me show you that we will be fine, Sweetheart," implored Elijah. "Let me prove to you that your doubts are unfounded. If I cannot convince you, if I cannot take away your doubts, then...I will let you go. I will grant you a divorce."

To even speak such horrible words such as 'divorce' had Elijah feeling sick to his stomach with painful dread. He didn't want to have to live without Eternity, but he knew that if she was truly unhappy that he couldn't keep her with him. He had to let her go. So, he put everything on the table and was prepared to gamble it all, just to try and avoid something that would surely kill him, if he couldn't make things right between them.

It was obvious to him that Eternity was feeling similar emotions. She didn't want a divorce either, but also knew from her past experiences that they shouldn't stay together, if they couldn't be happy with each other.

Therefore, she nodded her agreement to his proposal, as she was unable to verbalize her answer. She reached for the ring he held out to her, but he pulled it out of her reach, earning him a confused look. He grinned and took her left hand in his, putting the ring back on her hand, where it belonged. He then kissed her knuckles tenderly, watching as she smiled slightly - though it was obvious she was trying not to.

Despite this agreement, Eternity refused to go to sleep with him, choosing to bunk with Ari down the hall. Though painful to do so, Elijah let her go...for now, resigning himself to sleeping alone for the time being.

As the days passed, the tension remained strong between them. They were cordial and even friendly, but it was obvious there remained a wall between them. Ari noticed it too and did everything in her little nine year old power to try breaking it down. She would purposefully seek both their attentions at the same time, inviting them both to her activities and to meal time. She made sure they were always together as the family they should have been all along.

Elijah doted on both his ladies. He cooked their meals for them, taught Ari the piano in Eternity's presence. He made sure that they each had everything they wanted or needed, bringing gifts home to them often, and helping in the daily caring of their child until their little family fell into a comfortable routine. Before long, the barrier between husband and wife began to come down and the tension lessened.

His wife even began to show him affection again. She would touch his hand it outright hold onto it. She would hug him often and would playfully nudge him, whenever they were in the kitchen cooking together. She even kissed his cheek from time to time, particularly if she was leaving the room and would shoot him a flirtatious smile.

Yet, everything was chaste, and though with love, everything was also without passion. It was as if she were holding back from him. Eternity even remained distant when it came to bedtime, continuing to refuse to go to bed with him and choosing to continue to stay with their daughter.

At first, Elijah had been understanding, knowing that they weren't ready for intimacy - and he didn't just mean sex, but any sort of physical affection that they would normally engage in. As this behavior dragged on in the weeks that grew into months after his memories were returned to him, he began to grow frustrated.

They had found happiness again, he knew this by the bright way she would greet him daily and the way she would automatically defend him, when Niklaus would bitterly bring up his foolishness in erasing his memories. They had even taken on the remaining purist vampires together, as a perfectly in sync team, defeating them with swift justice.

The distance Eternity continued to needlessly put between them began to take it's toll on him, causing him to grow weary of this game she played. He had run out of patience until he finally decided he had enough. He needed to end this madness once and for all, for his own sanity's sake.

However, before he could, trouble came about when Niklaus went after Roman Sienna for the kidnapping of Hope and Hayley. Before he knew his brother had done such, Antoinette texted Elijah to request to speak with him.

Since Eternity and he were still working out their problems, he didn't think it would be wise to tell her that he was going to see the woman. Instead, he swept out of the compound to hurriedly meet the nightwalker vampire in the shadows of an old abandoned factory building.

He found the dark beauty waiting in the shadows and went to her.

"I wasn't sure that you'd come," said Antoinette, turning to face him with her arms across her chest.

"Just because I said goodbye to you, it doesn't change how I feel about you," he replied.

"No, but you love someone else more, therefore, it complicating things," the female vampire said sadly. "Roman, my brother, was taken."

Elijah immediately realized, "Niklaus."

"Elijah, he's going to kill him," Antoinette spoke worriedly, "if he hasn't already. He doesn't deserve to die. You and I both know that Roman got lost in the shadow of my mother, but she's dead now along with her following, I hear. And her hate shouldn't be pinned on my brother."

"No, it shouldn't," he agreed, automatically reaching to cup her neck in affection, though he knew he keep his distance.

However, she pulled away before he could, saying, "If anything that you felt for me was real, talk to Klaus. Please."

Then she walked away, back into the shadows.

Elijah swiftly set to work in convincing Niklaus to release Roman from whatever torment he had put unto the boy. Returning to the compound, he found his brother sitting on the steps leading to the upper level with a bottle of bourbon in one hand and a glass in the other.

"Niklaus, you have to let the boy go," he insisted.

"Why should I?" The hybrid resided. "He was the one responsible for almost killing Hope and Hayley. I say, let him endure the torment they had, even if it kills him."

"This is madness," Elijah responded desperately. "He's just a child!"

Niklaus eyed him with an accusing look as he stood on the step, "I have to wonder, with this sudden care about one of our enemies, where your loyalties lay, Brother."

He swallowed thickly, "What are you accusing me of?"

"I am not blind, Elijah," his brother shouted angrily. "If you love that woman so much, then go be with her! She _is_ the reason why you're here, pleading for that boy's life. I just feel sorry for your wife and your child. You cut them deeply, just as you cut me. For not only do you betray your siblings, you betray them as well, with this traitorous behavior. You fraternize with the enemy. You're not worthy of being a father or a husband - or a brother, for that matter."

"Niklaus, please," Elijah implored, trying to ignore the pain his brother's words caused.

The hybrid turned away dismissively, "Tell your mistress that I will not let the boy go. Nor will I ever welcome that harlot into this family, if you _do_ divorce Eternity to marry her. In fact, neither of you will be welcomed here any more, if that _is_ your intention. I will not have adulterers and traitors in my home."

With that, Niklaus walked away, before Elijah could say anything more.

The older Original watched his brother go, unsure of what to do next. He couldn't let Roman die, but he also knew that what Niklaus had said was true, at least to some extent. He did still retain feelings for Antoinette and he had been an adulterer; though he was trying to fix things with Eternity, as she was so much more to him than the female vampire, who sought his help in saving her brother.

Still, relationship complications aside, Roman didn't deserve death for what happened. He was just a child, who had naively followed his mother's wickedness. Hope and Hayley had been rescued. Nobody had died.

No, Elijah knew he had to save the boy, because it was the right thing to do, no matter what Niklaus accused him of or how true the accusations might be.

He sat in front of the chess board on the balcony for an hour at least, trying to think of a way to save Roman, before his brother decided to end him. Every idea that came to him would leave him as the traitor the hybrid accused him of. No matter if he was stealthy about it or blatant about it, his brother wouldn't forgive him.

How had things become so complicated, he wondered in frustration.

Just as he had that thought, Niklaus came on a rampage, roaring his name as he went.

Elijah rose from his chair, as his brother appeared with a a murderous fire flashing in his eyes.

"You traitor of a brother," he growled. "You let the boy go!"

_What_?

"I did no such thing," he responded truthfully. "I've been here this whole time."

When the hybrid went to attack him, Eternity's voice rang out, "Stand down, Niklaus!"

Both men turned to look at the ethereal beauty who stood there with an unreadable expression. She approached, coming to stand between them while facing Elijah's brother with her hand on the hybrid's chest in comfort.

"It was not Elijah who freed the boy, but I," she confessed gently.

Niklaus looked at her with utter betrayal.

"Nik, Hope came to me just a little while ago," Eternity explained. "She told me that you took Roman and were holding him in the dungeon with the plan to torture, then kill him. She pleaded with me to free him before you could follow through, and I did, because it was the right thing to do. The boy did a terrible thing, yes, but he is just that - a boy. He deserves a chance to grow and to change."

The hybrid's expression softened, though it was obvious he still didn't like what she had done.

"You are too merciful, my sister," he growled quietly, before turning away and leaving.

Once he was gone, Eternity turned to Elijah with that unreadable expression again. Without a word, she turned away to leave, but he caught her arm before she could get far. When she looked back at him, he spoke in gratitude, "Thank you, Sweetheart."

She only nodded in response, before pulling away from him and leaving.

With a sad sigh, Elijah reached inside his inner jacket pocket and pulled out his phone. He called Antoinette to meet with her, to tell her in person the good news, and to say goodbye to her...for good this time.

Little did he notice, the figure who watched him from the shadows.

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5: Lost to Pain

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

* * *

Elijah and Antoinette met in the same place they had before, in the shadowy bowels of the same abandoned factory.

"Roman is safe," the Original told the female vampire upon his approach. "My brother won't try to harm him anymore. I promise."

"Thank you," Antoinette replied gratefully, coming to rest her hands on his shoulder affectionately. "Can you ever forgive me for the mess my family made?"

"I could ask you the same question," he said with a slight shrug. "Where will you go?"

She smiled at him, cupping the side of his face with one hand, "Someone once told me that Shanghai is a safe place to hide out."

"Someone?" He returned her smile with one of his own.

"A man who always did right by me, despite his decision to be with someone else," Antoinette told him. "So I suppose I can trust him. I just want to say before I go that I'll always love you, Elijah Mikaelson and I will always cherish our time together."

Caught up in the moment, Elijah allowed her to kiss him tenderly and he responded in kind, knowing that this was goodbye - forever this time.

"Elijah!"

The Original pulled away from Antoinette sharply to find Eternity standing there at the bottoms of the stairs with wide eyes and an agape mouth in her shock at what she had witnessed. She backed away and then darted up the stairs, fleeing the scene.

Damn it...

Elijah sighed heavily in frustration and regret, rubbing his temples between his thumb and forefinger with his other hand on his hip.

"I'm sorry, Elijah," Antoinette called to him. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I truly didn't mean to cause more strife between you two."

He turned to her, "No, this is my fault. Aside from everything that brought us to this point, I didn't tell her where I was going. She wasn't even aware that I was meet with you and now..." He trailed off, as his words failed him.

"Well, I sincerely hope you are able to fix things between you," the female vampire told him, "but if not, you know where to find me."

Before Elijah could respond, she sped away, leaving him alone.

Immediately, he went back to the compound, knowing that he'd find Eternity there. The Mikaelson home was still her home, after all, and it was where their daughter lived too. He knew she wouldn't simply take off somewhere else because of that reason.

Elijah found her standing at the window in his study. He knew that she had sensed him there in the doorway, but refused to turn around. As he carefully entered the room, a twinkle caught his eye as he went by his desk and saw her wedding ring sitting there, echoing their last bout of strife, right when he had gotten his memories back.

"It's over, Elijah," Eternity said with a shaky voice. "I cannot do this. I won't."

His heart dropped into his stomach with utter dread, tears automatically began to well up in his eyes. "No, Eternity, please..." his words died from the lump that formed in his throat.

"You were kissing her, Elijah" she finally turned to him, her eyes full of betrayal. "Not only that, but you snuck around behind my back to go see her. If it were nothing, if you had truly chosen us over her then you wouldn't have done that. You would have told me what you were doing. You wouldn't have something to hide."

"You're right," replied Elijah, dropping his head in shame. "I should have told you. I was wrong, but I didn't do it because I secretly want to be with Antoinette. I don't. She came to me, seeking my help to rescue her brother that Niklaus kidnapped, nothing more."

He looked up at her with certainty then, as he explained, "You and I have just been making such progress rebuilding our relationship that I didn't want to tell you, for fear that it would ruin the parts we've rebuilt. I see now that it was a foolish move, one that I wish I could take back. I'm so sorry. Don't leave. Please."

By the almost accepting way Eternity looked at him, he thought that she would relent - that she would stay. However, her expression turned steely, as she said, "No, Elijah. I'll send the divorce decree to you, when I have the chance, but I will not stay in this broken relationship. I'm sorry."

He could barely breathe. He felt as though he were dying, as if her words were literally killing him. "What of our daughter? Will you take her from me too?" He demanded quietly, almost unable to speak at all.

"Beyond the stars is no place for a half-Earth based child," Eternity told him. "I will leave her in your care and that of your family. I know you will care for her well. I'll come to visit her when I can. Goodbye, Elijah."

And with those last words, she swept from the room bravely, though it was obvious that she wanted to breakdown as much as he did. As soon as she was gone, he did breakdown, collapsing to his knees as tears fell from his eyes. He wept mournfully, as the pain of his wife leaving him consumed his insides.

Then Elijah heard Eternity speaking to his siblings, who had been apparently gathered in the courtyard casually when she happened by them. He went out onto the inner balcony of the compound to watch as she told everyone, including Ari, about her decision to leave.

"It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you all that I am leaving," Eternity announced. "My relationship with your sibling, your uncle...your father, is not going to work out, after all. Therefore, I am terminating my marriage, as I cannot stay here any longer."

His siblings all looked confused and alarmed by this news, none of which had seen it coming, except for perhaps Niklaus. He was the least shocked by her revelation. Ari looked absolutely devastated. Tears ran down the little girl's face as she ran to her mother and wrapped her arms around her waist tightly.

"I love you all, but none more than I love you, my little one," the ethereal beauty spoke softly. "I shall be back soon to visit you, dear girl, and I will never forget the rest of you. The Mikaelson clan will always hold a special place in my heart. You will always be a part of me."

"Mom, don't go," Ari pleaded.

Eternity stroked the girl's head, "Be good to your father, darling. He's going to need your strength and your love. Goodbye for now, my sweet."

With that, she vanished, leaving everyone devastated in her wake, but none more so than their daughter.

Dark days lay ahead after that.

In the weeks that followed, a black cloud hovered over the Mikaelson compound since the light that had given them new, brighter paths had disappeared from their lives. However, the shadowy void was the greatest over Elijah and his daughter.

Ari refused to see him. He had promised to fix things between him and her mother, but he had failed to do so. He had broken his promise to her. Yet, he did try and connect with his daughter, to make a new promise to always be there for her, but she wouldn't hear it. She wanted them together as a family and if she couldn't have that, then she wanted nothing to do with him or with her mother.

Niklaus also refused to speak to him, knowing exactly why Eternity had left, without him having to tell him. Yet, Elijah didn't care. He shut himself up inside his study, refusing to see anyone since the one person left he wanted to see didn't want anything to do with him.

Every day, the mourning Original sat with Eternity's wedding ring between his fingers, staring at it as if it could summon the immortal queen back to him. He was lifeless and uncaring of anything. It was as if half of himself had gone with his soon-to-be ex wife and he believed it actually had.

As corny as it might sound, Eternity was his other half. Without her, he felt lost.

So lost was he that Elijah didn't know what to do, but he knew he didn't want to feel the pain that he did. Then one day, an idea came to him - a way to escape the hurt, escape the bleakness. He needed time to collect himself, if he was ever going to be a parent to Ari or at least that was the excuse for running he gave himself.

Picking up his phone, he called Antoinette for the first time in weeks.

"I cannot promise anything, but I'm coming to see you," he told her when she picked up.

After arrangements were made with the female vampire, Elijah set to work packing his bags for a trip to Shanghai. He went into his bedroom and moved about collecting a suitcase full of clothes and necessities. He wrote a quick letter to Ari, to tell her that he would return soon.

Once he had everything he needed, he carried his bag out with the letter to drop off to his daughter 's door on his way out. He was in the process of heading down the hall toward Ari's room when he received a surprise that caused him to stop dead in his tracks.

Eternity stood there, having just come out of their daughter's bedroom. She stopped and stared at him with wide eyes. It seemed she was just as surprised to see him as he was of her.

Upon closer inspection, the ethereal beauty looked haggard. Her normal shining grace was dimmed until it was barely there. She didn't shimmer or glow in the same way. Her otherworldliness was nearly nonexistent. Her hair that shone in light was dull and it didn't move with her movements and her sapphire eyes had lost their luster.

Furthermore, she looked dead on her feet, exhausted and near collapse. Yet, she stubbornly stood tall before him, refusing to look weak, as if he was some kind of enemy she had to show her strength to.

Elijah was immediately alarmed by what he saw, but he tried not to show it. He didn't know how well his concern would be received by her, given everything going on between them.

Then Eternity noticed the suitcase in his hand and looked at him curiously in that way that meant she was reading his thoughts. Upon finding her answer to why he had it with him, she coolly murmured, "I see. Moving on so quickly, are we, Elijah?"

Unable to help himself in his pain, he lashed out icily, "It is no longer your concern what I choose to do, you made sure of that, but yes, I'm choosing to move on. You can send the divorce papers to Shanghai. That's where I'll be."

"Well, if you hadn't acted like a fool in the first place, our relationship would still be intact," she shot back. "This is your fault!"

"Perhaps, but you could have tried to forgive me for it all," he muttered angrily. "Instead you ran away, like a coward! You gave up on us! Now you can live with it!"

A fury like no other erupted in the immortal queen then, despite her dangerous fatigue. "That's it," she roared and then she attacked him, punching him across the jaw and then roundhouse kicking him in the chest, sending him flying backwards. "We'll settle this like Mikaelsons, as I am still one of you: with violence!" She growled.

An anger all his own roared to life in response to hers and Elijah engaged her, giving over to the baser part of himself. He fought back, throwing punches and blocking her, until she tackled him and sent them both over the balcony railing and crashing into the furniture of the courtyard.

Immediately, they were both on their feet, reengaging in their physical confrontation. They were each lost to the anger, the hurt, and utter grief they felt. Neither of them paused or stopped, even as they vaguely heard Ari scream at them, with Hayley then calling for Niklaus. They threw each other around the room, crashing into other pieces of furniture and into the walls, leaving cracked in the fragile concrete.

Before long, they were both battered and bruised, with blood splattered upon their skins and their clothing.

"I didn't want to give up on us, Elijah," Eternity shouted as they carried on. "I wanted to forgive you, I wanted to believe in you, but you gave away what was to always belong to me alone: your heart! You betrayed everything we had!"

"And if you had never left, I wouldn't have had to act so desperately," he raged at her, as he grabbed her by the throat and sped her into the nearest wall with brutal force. He squeezed threateningly, "I would have never met Antoinette and our happiness wouldn't have been destroyed!"

Eternity gripped his wrist as he nearly choked her, yet she didn't struggle against him as she stared at him fearlessly, "It was you who told me to go! I wanted to stay, but you said you could handle things until I returned! I believed in you, so I went, only to come home to my family in shambles, my husband lost to me - in love with someone else with me forgotten! You did this, nobody else..."

Elijah continued to be lost to his darkness, unable to stop. He held her in his grip, enjoying the way she seemed helpless against him in her apparently weakened state.

"Elijah," Niklaus called authoritatively, speeding down to grab the arm of his choking hand. "Let her go! You don't want to do this! You love her!" When that didn't seem to reach him, his brother tried a different tactic, "What about your daughter who is watching this foolishness from the balcony in horror? Surely she is worth stopping this madness for."

Immediately, the older Original released the ethereal beauty, letting her drop to the floor, where she wheezed and coughed. He stared down at her, horrified by his own actions. Then he heard Ari's sobs and turned to see Hayley holding her as she cried with the female hybrid glaring at him.

Unable to deal with the pain of guilt he felt over what had just transpired, along with the rest of his agony, Elijah sped away, returning to his study to hide away from the cries of his daughter and the hurt of her mother. He did not leave the room. Instead, he let put everything he felt upon the room. All the pain and the frustration and the regret tore through the study, tearing it apart throughly, before he collapsed as his great despair overwhelmed him.

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6: To Tomorrow

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Elijah or any elements from the Vampire Diaries/the Originals. I do, however, own my OC Eternity and any elements from my up and coming novel. Please review! I'd appreciate it a lot! Thanks and happy reading!

**Author's Note**: This is the final chapter for 'Remember Me'! Smutty chapter is smutty, you have been warned! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Later that night, once he had finally calmed, Elijah emerged from the broken study. He went to the common room for a change of scenery. Once there, he collapsed into one of the armchairs that sat before fireplace, of which flickered with the light of a fire. Elijah reached for a glass that sat beside the chair and poured a bit of bourbon into it, as he watched the flames dance numbly.

He was sure that Eternity was gone once more and that his daughter would never look at him kindly ever again either. How had things gotten so out of hand? He had to wonder.

However, regarding the former, Elijah was quickly proven wrong, as the ethereal beauty came slowly into the room, coming to sit in the other armchair. He pretended he hadn't noticed her, as he glanced curiously at her out of the corner of his eye. She had winced and groaned slightly as she sat down. Then there was the flash of bruising around her neck that was still evident from when he had choked her, markings that were an ugly reminder of his lost control. But what was odd was that they were still there at all, having not healed supernaturally as they should have.

Just what was going on with her? He wondered. She had been dead on her feet with her otherworldliness faded before. Now it seemed she was sore and not healing. It was deeply concerning, but the Original had chosen not to mention it as of yet.

They sat there together in silence, each watching the fire. It seemed as though neither of them knew what to say after their abhorrent behavior earlier. Tension was great between them. It was so thick, in fact, that Elijah could almost taste it.

"I'm surprised that you're still here," Eternity murmured at last without any malice and without looking at him.

"I could say the same thing about you," he replied quietly, as his sipped from his drink, not looking at her.

She sighed, as she sank back into the chair, "I stayed for Ari, something that I shall be doing for a while at the very least. I tried to comfort her, but that poor girl is inconsolable. She's in so much pain. We've been so thoughtless of our daughter - careless. The darkness has truly infiltrated everything and everyone here, because we let it...because I let it." She snorted slightly, "Some agent of light I am."

Elijah said nothing in return, unsure of what to say.

"I'm supposed to be better than the darkness, wise enough to not be so easily dragged down into it," Eternity carried on. "I should have handled this whole situation better. In fact, I had every intention to, when I was finally able to come find you in France. I was understanding and sympathetic of your decision to erase your memories for the sake of your family, but I was also hurt, and therefore, angered by it. I let the latter negative emotions take hold and from there, everything slow spiraled into...this." She gestured between them, "And so here we are: broken."

"Broken implies that there is something that can be fixed," he responded finally, glancing at her, noticing the way she closed her eyes for a long time and then slowly opened them with some difficulty. It appeared as if she hadn't heard him at all and he found himself worried, "What's wrong, Sweetheart?"

Eternity immediately sat up a little straighter and tried to act as normally as possible, as she smiled weakly, "It's nothing. I am only dying."

Immediately, he sat up in alarm, "What?"

"It's not in the literal sense," she explained. "As you know, an immortal's emotions are heightened. We feel things at a more profound level than mortals. For those from beyond the stars, our emotions are attached to our physical being. Therefore, our emotions can affect us physically. Right now, I feel dead and lifeless, emotionally speaking. Because of how strong that feeling is, it is manifesting physically, dampening my ability to function, to heal, to live. Talk about overdramatic, right?" She gave him a small wry smile, a short laugh escaping her.

Elijah was very concerned and he felt very guilty. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry," he said remorsefully. "I have done this terrible evil to you."

Eternity laughed slightly again, "No, I did this to myself, when I chose to let the darkness in, when I let the negativity of our situation get the better of me. I should have known better. Yet, I've let evil destroy everything that I love and now, I am dealing with the consequences of that choice."

"But -."

"Elijah, it's alright," she reassured him. "I'll be fine...eventually. Don't worry about me. Heartbreak doesn't last forever, after all."

Elijah swallowed thickly, a lump forming in his throat at how resigned to her fate she was. She put blame on herself, but the blame she had put on him earlier was just as valid, just as true. They were both at fault, both having made foolish choices that had lead them to this point. They were both responsible for this...for the state she was in.

"We're both fools, it would seem," he said emotionally. "Acting as we never should have, as if we weren't ancient beings who know better than to behave so abhorrently. We've made grievous errors, but there is still time to repair the damage, to act as we should have all along. We can fix what we broke."

"What of the lady that awaits your arrival?" Eternity asked him without accusation or jealousy or any negative emotion at all - just as an inquiry.

Elijah dismissed her question, "Antoinette isn't my wife. In fact, she shouldn't be anything to me at all. Not to sound cruel, but it is unfortunate that she has meant something to me. Regardless, you are still my priority, no matter what has happened. I love you, I swore to be committed to you always, and I want to be with you. I want to fix this, if you do."

She smiled softly, "Yes, Elijah, of course I want to. I'm so sorry for my role in all this. I love you more than anything, despite everything that has gone on. My love for you hasn't diminished. I want to be with you too - you and little Ari."

The emotional, hope filled moment carried him away then and he was out of his chair, pulling Eternity from hers to gather her in his arms. He kissed her passionately, with all the emotions he was feeling. She reciprocated eagerly, but then her legs gave out and he had to hold her up or else she would have collapsed to the floor.

Knowing she needed rest, the Original picked her up into his arms and carried her away to their bedroom. He laid her in the big bed, tucking her in with the intention of leaving her to sleep, when she caught his hand before he could get far.

"Stay with me, Elijah," she murmured. "Just hold me tonight."

Elijah smiled, "As you wish, Sweetheart."

He proceeded to undress from his constrictive suit, taking his clothes off quickly until he was in nothing but his boxers. Then, after he folded up his formalwear, he went to the dresser to grab a pair of pajama bottoms, putting them on and then came back to bed, climbing in beside Eternity.

She immediately cuddled close, resting her head on his chest, while he put his arm around her. Elijah stroked her hair with slow affection, smiling slightly at her desire to be close to him, especially after everything that had happened. He had thought she would still need space, but it seemed she had experienced enough separation to last a life time. He knew he felt that way himself.

Before long, Eternity was asleep in his arms and he soon followed, happy to have his wife back in his arms, where he was determined to keep her this time.

The days that followed were brighter than before. Elijah and his lady spent every moment possible together with their daughter. At first, Ari had been wary of their promise to remain as a family, after they each apologized profusely over the discourse she had witnessed, but the girl was slowly warming up to the idea with each passing day. They all spent their time playing games, teaching Ari the piano, and how to use her ever growing powers, just as they had been before. Though this time without all the negativity and tension.

Even Niklaus had finally forgiven him for his poor decisions, welcoming him back to the Mikaelson fold. His other siblings welcomed him also, sooner than the hybrid. All of them had been simply glad to see that everything was on the men, especially where Eternity and Ari were concerned.

Pretty soon, the darkness that had looked over everything had begun to fade until it felt like nothing more than a bad dream. Life became as it should have been all along - happy and peaceful with an unbreakable together. After how big this past storm had been, Elijah was confident that whatever new storms might brew, they wouldn't ever be strong enough to break his bond with his wife, his child, or his siblings.

Antoinette never tried to call or text him in those passing weeks. Elijah surmised she had known that he wasn't coming after all and had known better than to try contacting him.

Despite this return to peace and harmony, the Original and his lady had yet to resume the sexual side of their relationship. However, he didn't feel as though he had to rush into it, as she provided him with her affections, letting him be close to her as she hadn't before. The barriers had come down. There was nothing holding them back, except for their own desire to take their time, to enjoy each other as they were - together.

Then one night, Elijah set up a rather romantic spot in front of the fireplace in their bedroom without expecting anything. He was simply in possession of her wedding ring with the plan to put back on her finger where it belonged; nothing more, nothing less. He laid out a blanket with a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and a small bowl of fruits to snack on. When Eternity entered the room, he was waiting there with an invitation to join him.

The ethereal beauty smiled warmly as she came to join him, sitting gracefully beside him. She had regained her luster, shimmering and shinning brightly as she once had. Her fatigue had gone since they had solidified their decision to reunite instead of separate. She kissed him sweetly, sitting close to him, as she took in the display of romance.

"You have outdone yourself, Mr. Mikaelson," Eternity grinned. "This is lovely."

"Well, Mrs. Mikaelson," he responded, taking out the sapphire and diamond wedding ring from his inner jacket pocket and presenting it to her, "I wanted tonight to be particularly romantic as I returned this to you."

She looked at the ring and then at him, before she held out her left hand to him, allowing him to slide the ring back on her finger. "You kept it," she said, as she admired the piece of jewelry that he put on her hand.

Elijah nodded, "Of course."

Overwhelmed with emotions, Eternity threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. Things grew heated quickly, especially as the immortal queen's tongue swept into his mouth to taste him throughly.

He held onto her, cupping the side of her neck, while his other hand caressed down her back. His desire rose rapidly, the more they kissed erotically. He wanted her, after not having her for so long.

Then his wife tugged on his neck, pulling him with her as she laid back onto the blanket, until he was laying over her. His hands ran over her clothed body, while her limbs wrapped around him tightly. Their mouths never left each other, both having missed this part of their relationship, more than they realized.

Parting for breath, Eternity nuzzled his neck affectionately, as she whispered in his ear, "I've missed you, Elijah. I want you."

He stroked her hair as he whispered back to her, "I missed you too, Sweetheart, more than you know. Heaven knows, I want you too. As always, I crave you with everything I am."

Eternity pulled back to gaze at him with such profound emotion. There was love and joy, mixed with her desire for him. She smiled softly at him, "I love you, Mr. Mikaelson."

She kissed him again sweetly, with all her pent up passion coursing through her.

"I love you more than anything, Sweetheart. Will you let me make love to you tonight, Mrs. Mikaelson?" Elijah asked her in a quiet rumble, with a desire all his own burning in his gaze - and all his love for her too.

The immortal queen smiled seductively. "Aye. Please, Elijah," she breathed lustfully.

Immediately, the Original's mouth claimed Eternity's in fiery, needful passion. His tongue pried her mouth open and dove inside to taste her hungrily. It had been so long - too long - since he had last been with his lady and he had every intention in making up for lost time...as soon as possible.

Simultaneous with his kiss, he lifted the floral dress she wore to run his hands over her bare skin beneath, enjoying the feel of the soft flesh he found there. His hands caressed her with tender urgency, while she moaned and squirmed from his touch.

"Oh, have I missed you, Elijah," repeated Eternity breathlessly, as his mouth left hers to trail along her jaw and then down the column of her throat.

Elijah nipped at her skin, causing her to gasp and moan pleasurably. Her hips bucked into his as she clung to him. His need for her was great. He craved her, hungered for her, like the starved man he truly was. The scent of her arousal that began to permeate the air did nothing to dampen his nearly painful need for his wife.

Wanting her naked, he gathered the flimsy fabric of her dress and tore it from her body, so that his hands had complete access to her soft and flawless flesh. Once the offending material was dealt with, his hands proceeded to run over all the smooth softness he could reach again, before reaching between their bodies to touch the slickness between her legs.

He groaned needfully as he felt the wet heat there, dipping two fingers inside and thrusting them slowly to collect the nectar she produced upon his digits. He watched intensely as Eternity's face contorted with the pleasure his touch brought her.

"It seems you _have_ miss me, Sweetheart," Elijah smirked, his voice gruff with his lust. "You're so wet for me and I've barely touched you."

"Yes," she gasped in response, as she bucked into his hand. "Please...more!"

"As my lady wishes," He panted against her lips, before he kissed her hotly again.

However because The Original enjoyed the way his wife gasped and moaned his name, while her hips bucked at his touch, desiring more, he carried on teasing her. He grinned wolfishly against her neck as he did, stroking her until she was a panting mess and then backing off, only to do the same thing over again just to drive her mad.

"Elijah," Eternity growled warningly in his ear, upon realizing his teasing game.

He only chuckled and didn't cease in his determination to make her crazy.

In a twist, his lady pushed him away from her with her superior strength, making him sit up. She pushed him into a seated position, following and climbing into his lap. She reached for him, pulling herself against him bodily. She grabbed the sides of his face in her tiny hands and kissed him, dipping his tongue into his mouth as she rocked her hips into his. Then pulling back, she began the process of taking his clothes off his body.

Eternity's hands worked deftly in pulling his gray suit jacket off him, then his tie from around his neck. She undid the buttons of his black waistcoat and pulled that from him too. Her little hands moved furiously as she next attacked the buttons of his dress shirt, nearly tearing it from his body once she had all the buttons undone.

His wife's mouth immediately descended upon his skin, trailing from his jaw, down his throat, and then across his chest. Her hands ran over his exposed flesh too, following her lips.

Elijah watched with fascination as she did this, before he pulled her mouth to his again, kissing her hotly with the need to join their bodies consuming him. He pushed her back onto the blanket, excited on many levels to finally be with her as he had so many times before in the past, after having been parted for so long.

As he laid her down, he hovered over her, kissing and nipping her skin while his hand reached down to undo his pants. He pushed them out of the way just enough to release himself from the confines. Then without warning, he thrusted inside Eternity, making her gasp in surprise loudly. He groaned at the feeling of being joined with her, as her walls encased him perfectly.

The ethereal beauty wrapped her appendages around him, holding onto him tightly, as he began to move brutally inside her, lost to his feral passion for her already. She panted and pleaded with him, lost to the same wild need he was. Her nails raked his back as she climbed higher in pleasure beneath him, causing Elijah to hiss and issue an animalistic growl.

As he rocked into her faster and harder than before, his vampire visage appeared on instinct. He lunged at her throat, letting his fangs sink into her neck, where he drank in her sweet blood that empowered him. She clung to him even tighter, her walls fluttering around him and then clamping down in a sudden orgasm from his bitting her. She shouted into the air as her body seized in pleasure beneath him.

"Elijah!" Eternity screamed as she came, cradling his head against her tightly.

Elijah didn't cease in his movements, thrusting into her through her orgasm, letting his body rise even higher in pleasure until he too was coming. He tore his mouth away from her neck as he shouted and moaned while he orgasmed, spilling into her. He stilled and rested against her, nuzzling her neck affectionately as he came down from his pleasure high.

"More, Elijah, more," the immortal woman groaned needfully, soon after her orgasm faded. "It's not enough. More!"

Elijah chuckled as he lifted himself off her, rising to kneel between her parted legs. He stared down at her with renewed lust, admiring her flushed form and the scent of their sexual encounter that was teasing his nose. He also enjoyed the way she squirmed beneath his heated gaze.

"Please," she breathed, her hands running over her flesh enticingly. "I need more."

He smirked at her, pulling her up and into his lap. He kissed her slowly, erotically, as he helped her move into position over his still hard cock. Then he pulled back and watched her face as she sank down on him, taking him back into her body.

They both groaned at the sensation of being rejoined, closing their eyes for a moment to savor the feeling. It was they began to rock together, moving in perfect sync that heir eyes reopened to gaze at each other lovingly. Soon their mouths reconnected to mimic the movements of their lower bodies.

They took their time, moving together unhurriedly, but with the same passion as before. The climb in pleasure was slower in it's build. They simply enjoyed being together, joined in body as they were in soul.

"I love you, Sweetheart," Elijah murmured to her, breathless from kissing her and from the exertion. "I love you so much."

Eternity smiled and kissed him, "And I you, my love, and I you."

Slowly, the pleasure grew unto, they were moving together rapidly, panting and moaning needfully. They were soon lost to their need for completion. Then finally, it happened for a second time and they were coming together with muffled shouts as their mouths melded together hotly, drowning out their cries as their bodies seized with pleasure.

Elijah sat there as he held his wife to him in the afterglow. They embraced tightly as they came down from their highs, as their capacity for normal breathing returned. He ran his hands over her back, while she played with his hair at the black of his head, running her fingers through the short locks.

"Never shall we part again," Eternity murmured randomly. "Nothing can separate us now."

"No, nothing," he agreed with a smile. "We are truly always and forever."

For the rest of the night and well into the following morning, Elijah and his wife made love, until exhaustion forced them to sleep. From that moment on, the Original and the immortal queen remained together, no matter what came next. No matter what trials came, their bond would forever remain unbroken. Nothing could part them, not even death itself...for they were eternal.

**The End**


End file.
